


(The 3am Diner) We Shouldn't Be Here, And Yet...

by wefellasangels



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Freshman Sam, Gen, M/M, Senior Castiel, Senior Dean, Team Free Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2015-06-22
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:04:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4184346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wefellasangels/pseuds/wefellasangels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After hours of fruitless studying, Sam, Dean, and Cas decide that the rest of night is theirs - regardless of potential consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(The 3am Diner) We Shouldn't Be Here, And Yet...

**Author's Note:**

> requested by @flannel4lyfe on tumblr: "high school spn/(mayyyybe destiel??) ficlet about them hanging out at a local diner at like 3am and just bein silly..."

“This is just like that one scene in _Harry Potter_ ,” Sam comments with a smirk.

Neither Dean nor Cas turn to face Sam, both focused on the task at hand. But they respond simultaneously.

“What?”

“I’m not familiar with that reference.”

The apple pie floats closer to their booth and Sam sighs. Of course neither of them would know, but _still_ …

“From the _Chamber of Secrets_? When Dobby makes the cake float at the beginning of the movie…?”

No response from either of the other teens, and Sam sighs again, disappointed. “Never mind…”

After an agonizing thirty seconds, the apple pie lands on the table in front of Dean with a soft thud. Mission accomplished, Cas smiles in triumph.

“Guess I owe you fifteen bucks, huh, angel?”

“One apple pie, successfully transported from the counter to our table – _without_ getting caught,” Cas recaps for Dean. “Yes. I believe…I did win the bet.”

Dean rolls his eyes, but gives a small laugh. He pulls out his wallet and gets a ten and a five dollar bill, handing it over to Cas bitterly.  

“Thank you – “

“Yeah, shut up….show off….”

A minute later, three forks take turns shoveling the pie, the boys enjoying the spoils of Cas’s theft. In the absence of conversation, the only sounds in their corner of the diner are the scrapping of forks and a nearby clock’s ticking. It’s a little past three in the morning.

What was originally supposed to be an afternoon at the Winchesters’ place helping Sam study, gradually turned into a battle with procrastination and then into an all-night study jam…and eventually ended  up being:

_“This is stupid…and I’m tired…and it’s two in the morning, Dean. This is such bull…”_

_A flicker of regret crossed Dean’s face before it was replaced by determination. Midterms were coming up and Dean would be damned if he and Cas couldn’t help Sam pass his freshman year of them with flying colors._

_“C'mon, Sammy…you know this stuff, man. Just one more time, let’s run through it again-”_

_“Dean,” Cas said, standing up. The three of them were in the kitchen, study guide packets and flash cards littering the table. “Sam’s right. It’s late, we’ve been working for a long time. He needs rest – we all do.”_

_Dean looked across the table at his little brother, seeing his own exhaustion mirrored on Sam’s face._

_“Yeah, maybe you guys are right,” Dean finally relented. He ran both hands over his face and rubbed his eyes, yawning in the process. “Alright, alright. We’ll call it a night. Cas…we’ll drive you home, dude.”_

_Sam and Dean stood up as Cas began to collect his stuff: backpack, flashcards, pens, notebooks – the works. Within five minutes, the trio was headed out into the night in the Impala, Dean behind the wheel._

_“I could really go for some pancakes, or something,” Sam had said quietly from the backseat, halfway to Cas’s house. Feeling hungry himself – and being the good big brother that he was – Dean decided to make to a detour at the diner._ No way Sammy’s going hungry on my watch, _Dean justified to himself, the smell of food greeting them when they pulled into the parking lot._

_Once inside the three claimed a booth by the window, Sam on one side with Dean and Cas sitting across from him, Dean in the aisle seat. Their first round of pancakes came and went in the blink of an eye; the second round went by twice as fast, Cas serving as a referee after Sam challenged his brother to an eating competition – which Dean won effortlessly._

_“I bet Cas can fit more grapes in his mouth than you, Dean,” Sam taunted, leafing through the menu for more food._

_“Oh, yeah? What gives you that idea, Sammy?” Dean challenged, sounding somewhat apprehensive about his brother’s motives. Sam didn’t say anything, he just shrugged and smirked. And thus, four servings of grapes was ordered next. (Turns out Sam could fit more grapes in his mouth than both Cas and Dean)._

_With about $100 pending on their bill, the teens knew they were done for the night – until Dean saw the apple pie._

_“Dean, this is stupid. We’re not stealing a freakin’ pie for you.”_

_“What’s the matter, Sammy? ‘Fraid you’re gonna get caught?”_

_“Actually? Yeah. I am.”_

_Dean rolled his eyes. “Ten bucks, Sam. C’mon”_

_“Why don’t_ you _steal it, then, Dean?”_

_“Sammy…fifteen bucks, dude.”_

“Dean-“

_“I can get it,” Cas interjected._

_Both Winchesters raised their eyebrows in surprise. Cas was hardly one for breaking the rules, but –_

_“It’ll be easy, “ Cas assured them. “And if I don’t get caught, you’ll owe me fifteen dollars, Dean Winchester.”_

And now the last piece of pie was gone, lost behind Dean’s lips.

“Happy now, Dean?” Sam asks with a small smile.

“Hell yeah. The only thing that tastes better than pie, is pie that was stolen.” Dean pats Cas on the back appreciatively.

Cas wipes his mouth with a napkin and leans forward, elbows on the table and his stomach full. He looks at each of the Winchesters, both brothers clearly content with the night’s feast. After a moment of silence Dean laughs, suddenly remembering the reality they’ve temporarily escaped from.

“On a scale of one to ten, how pissed d'you think Dad’s gonna be when he notices the Impala’s been missing?”

Sam smirks. “Twelve probably,” he replies, somewhat prideful.

“Not to mention it’s a school night…I was supposed to be home by midnight…and the Impala is almost out of gas.”

Dean turns his head to face Cas, smiling stiffly. “Way to bring the party down, angel.”

The blue-eyed boy shrugs and puts up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey. It’s my ass, too…”

The elder Winchester sighs and leans back against the seat, stretching an arm behind Cas and resting it on the bench top.

“Yeah, I know it is. We’ll definitely be getting an earful tomorrow.”

Sam nods in agreement as their waiter makes a stop at the table.

“Alright then. Here’s the check,” he says after asking if the three want anything else. They all decline. “No problem. I’ll leave this with you – hope you gentlemen have a good night.” And he walks away.

“Uh, we should split this in three,” Cas suggests, eyes wide as he looks at their total. Sam takes the bill from Cas and his eyes widen as well.

Dean and Cas put down their cards, and Sam places his share of cash with the bill. A few minutes later, they get their cards back and the boys get ready to leave.  

“Well…that was fun while it lasted,” Sam remarks once they’re outside the diner.

Dean smiles genuinely and puts and arm around his brother. “Sure was. After Dad un-grounds us, we’ll have to make plans to sneak out again soon, Sammy. Maybe next time we’ll hit up McDonald’s. Bet I could kick your ass in a nugget eating contest.”

As they get closer to the Impala, Cas looks at his watch and then up at the sky. He stops walking and faces the brothers, who also pause. “Well…the night’s not quite over yet,” Cas begins. “We may have class in a few hours, but I doubt any of us are going to get any sleep anyway. I think we should make this night last a little longer.”

Both Winchesters knit their eyebrows in confusion, but before either of them can ask, Cas turns around and heads back in the direction of the diner. They follow him around the establishment to the back. Before they know it, the three of them are climbing up a side ladder and then making their way across the roof of the diner. Near the edge, the trio sits down, Cas in the middle of the Winchesters. The blue-eyed boy takes a look at his watch again. Four-oh-five in the morning.

“Cas, what the hell are we doing up here?” Dean inquires.

“Right now, star-gazing,” he replies quietly. “But in about ninety minutes, the sun will rise. And we’ll be here to witness its rising.”

Next to Cas, Sam is already lost in the star-littered sky. In his mind, myths and legends he’s learned from school cross over and merge with stories born of his own imagination.

On his other side, Dean’s mind begins to wander as well, thinking about all the places he and Sam have been. How many towns, schools, motels they’ve been in – and how, until tonight, they’ve never stopped to enjoy the time spent off the road. To stop and watch the sky…the one constant in their unpredictable lives.

Unconsciously, Dean reaches for Cas’s hand, running his thumb over the back of his hand.

_Thanks, angel._

Silently, Cas leans over and plants a kiss on Dean cheek.

_You’re welcome._

And the three of them sit on the roof and wait for the sun to show. When it does, they watch its slow ascent into the sky, like a yo-yo being reeled in from the depths of a pond. In the distance they hear a school bell ring, but refuse to move. When the time comes, they’ll take whatever consequences they have waiting for them.

Despite everything, they’ll always have the 3am Diner.

 


End file.
